Which superpower would you choose?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

breathing. g

Super glue original use was a battlefield surgery. Why is it sold as a fix all glue?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

wd40 works great as a lubricant, not a personal one of course, but for stuck metal objects. g

What is an odd thing that you tell yourself whenever you need to be comforted?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

i do not tell myself any odd things, but i do an odd thing to turn my mind off. it doesn't turn my mind off; it just overloads it with something else. i play the initial game, or variations thereof. right now i am working on famous people whose given names begin with c. i'm almost done because i am ill and my brain is a little fried so i can't think as well as usual. g

Spooky Language

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

wait... you mean they haven't already done so? g

The Mandela Effect is such a ridiculous problem for the human brain.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

well, that's not the only reason one shouldn't perceive humans, or anything else, as designed, but if you go with the idea that there is a god and that humans are made in that god's image, then that god has a design flaw, which makes the god imperfect, which makes the god rather useless as an object of worship or a cited source of creation. whose flaw would that imperfect god reflect, then? anyway, i am more interested in this effect than in the question of what it says about anyone's creationist views. what does one do about that effect? g

How to have more faith, and how not to. - YouTube

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

what do you mean "would have" reacted? you mean if i had ever been a christian, which i never have been, or if i had been religious, which i have not? my current reaction is, the music is distracting, the facial expressions are annoying, and people of faith won't understand most of it. the people who do understand it don't need it. g

I'd ask how many made it off the planet in the end?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

have you got a time machine and may i borrow it? g

Rage ! Now we have two creeps in our government.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

two? only two? g

Should healthcare providers be required to accept Medicaid/Medicare patients?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

yes. you know who doesn't take that? cancer centers of america. they spend a LOT of money on tv advertising, and you know who watches a lot of tv? old, disabled people like me, who can't really get out and do much else, and are on medicare and medicaid. so we see, gee, there are all these new techniques and procedures that could save my life, and oops, they only serve people who can pay. oh WELL. g

I work as a therapist with an agency that works with terminally ill patients and their families.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

it has to be difficult. sometimes i have to speak to theists from within their own belief system, even though i certainly don't share it. "god helps those who help themselves" is awfully useful for motivating people who have a "god will take care of it" attitude. but i'm talking about daily life, not people who are not going to benefit from being disillusioned, nor be harmed by maintaining their delusions. see if you can find the movie "harvey" somewhere (youtube doesn't have it directly; maybe someone does). then think of these people as james stewart. g

Imagine you can only live in and travel one continent for the rest of your life.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

europe, as long as various islands, and scandinavia, counted. i like the variety, and i would like to become fluent in another language (although u.k. is on my islands list and i am already semi-fluent in brit). g

You know when those cute little baby goats start jumping for no apparent reason other than the sheer...

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

wear pajamas? g

What is the most important goal every person should have?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

sorry, but i don't buy the premise of the question. the premise is that everyone should have one goal in common. i don't buy that. no one goal suits everyone. g

What is the most disturbing, disgusting or messed up thing someone interested in dating you has ...

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

oh the joys of online relationship-seeking. i clearly state on this site that i am here for the community. one guy chose to ignore that. nothing he said was disgusting in and of itself but the fact that he persistently ignored my rebuffs and was obviously a scammer (tell me everything about yourself, all your likes and hates -- yeah right, i will just make you a list, along with my bank account number, why don't i!) was disgusting. i didn't even have to block him, though; when i told him to leave me alone or face reporting and blocking, he left me alone. i understand not everyone is so obedient. g

Stereotypes are facts of life.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

stereotypes are facts of life? by what reckoning? you mean the way bedbugs are, or painful rectal itch? does their ubiquity justify them? who cares if they're politically incorrect, anyway? pc is for people who can't figure out how to be decent human beings without instructions. they're the people who NEED the instructions. the rest of us don't make nasty hurtful jokes not because we're afraid of offending someone, or because a rule said not to, or because it's not nice, but because we actually care whether or not we hurt people. so in what way is hurting people funny? g

A Good Christian.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

the best you can expect from someone who says "good christian" about him/herself or others is the delusion that christians are good and everyone else not so good. the whole CONCEPT of good christian is offensive. the whole concept that someone's religion should be on an application for anything but the priesthood (for example) is ridiculous. so right away, from the application, you knew she was a bigot. alas, she didn't give you as good a clue that she was a scammer. g

I finally, requested help from a police official in Portland,thank goodness,she was a woman, but ...

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

i have had good and bad experiences with cops. they're like everyone else, good and bad, friendly and cranky, honorable and dishonorable... with a rather large caveat. the caveat is twofold: 1. while it does attract altruists, it also attracts people who want to be in positions of power for the purpose of abusing same, and 2. many (i don't know HOW many, or if i should say MOST) of the police departments of the united states have been infiltrated by the kkk. that's not conspiracy-theory talk. that's real. here is one of MANY reports about this: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/fbi-white-supremacists-in-law-enforcement g

Yesterday I received a text telling me that I can vote from home.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

oh wait, you know, i don't even KNOW if i got such a text. it's not just that my phone died and the new one that fedex (not my choice -- i support the usps) tried to deliver today didn't get delivered because i was asleep (they give you an 11-hour delivery window). it's also that i just don't text. i don't send 'em, i don't check to see if i've got 'em, no one who knows me would ever send me one, and i don't have an alert for 'em for obvious reasons. so for all i know, i got this scam text too. i'll probably never know. g

Yesterday I received a text telling me that I can vote from home.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

not i... but then, last week i DID vote from home: with an absentee ballot, properly requested, procured and returned. that's the only way to vote from home. city hall is one place to request one. league of women voters is another, or at least they can direct you. everything else: save up those curse words, and make sure they're choice! g

What are some of the most/least religious countries or places you've visited?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

i suppose by virtue of having black-draped women in chairs all over the duty-free at the airport, glaring at me for not being black-draped, dubai is a tad too religious for me, but i don't want to visit there for real (outside the airport or even in it) for a variety of reasons besides that. the united states, where i live, is turning into an overly religious place for my taste and safety, too. g

Are there any special purpose in our life other than eating, drinking, sleeping, making merry, ...

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

you make your purpose. if what you listed is it for you, then no, there is no other purpose. if you can find another purpose, then yes, there is another purpose. g

[nytimes.com] Kosher Bacon? Does It Matter? Vegetarian Hamburgers?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

we eat turkey bacon in our household. i have no aversion to pork; i like it. turkey bacon is cheaper and my guy doesn't eat pork, so turkey bacon works really well for us. as for its mattering, well, since there are no gods, it doesn't matter on that level, and since we have refrigeration, it doesn't matter on a health level but in biblical times it sure did. people who ate the food that isn't considered kosher got "struck dead by god" except god was trichinosis, found especially in pork and shellfish. so it once mattered. veggie burgers... nah. i use turkey there too. again, cheaper and less fatty. i eat beef too. i don't eat/serve meat as a big glob with some token veg lying around; it's a portion of a larger whole, usually stir-fried or baked, or slow-cooked into a stew, definitely balanced. i have diabetes. i am no vegetarian. however, i adore vegetables (except celery). balance is the thing, for me. g

I vote we replace Columbus day with Columbo day. Who's with me!?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

free raincoats for everyone! g

What is the meaning of life for a godless man/woman/country/world??

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

it is an individual thing, as always. why would one need a god for that? g

Some medicine reminder apps.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

i always used to forget my evenings meds because they don't have a clock-time to be taken; they are to be taken at bedtime. i don't have a bedtime. i asked my doc if i could take them all in the morning and she said yes. now THAT's easy! so i don't need reminders, but some might, and that app might help them. g

What matters most in a potential spouse?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

i am engaged to a person who has no more money than i do, which is none. we both have health problems; we're not looking forward to a happy future. he is handsome to me but i realize he isn't handsome to the world. his alzheimer's is robbing him of his personality. charisma? ha! so why are we engaged? because we LOVE each other. g

What is your Definition of:

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

1. someone who believes there are no gods, or fails to believe there are any gods. 2. someone who fails to believe there are any gods, or isn't sure whether there are any gods but leans toward there not being any 3. religion light g

Did the Bible make you an Atheist?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

nope. first of all, most people here mean the christian bible when they say bible, and i was never a christian, but as a secular jew, bible-reading just wasn't on my agenda. some deliberate thinking and consideration brought me to the realization that there were no gods. g

Have we ever had a President that was as easy to get terrible pictures of as it is with Trump?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

well, dubya usually had his mouth open like a dope, but he looks like einstein next to trump. g

Sneezing and 'bless you'?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

i say "bless you" and then i add "these are my OWN blessings, and i have a limited number, so you only get two. if you sneeze a third time you're on your own." the original practice came from the time of the plague (one of the times of one of the plagues) since sneezing was an early symptom and people got all scared for (and of) you if you snoze. g

What life-altering things should every human ideally get to experience at least once in their lives?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

there is no one SHOULD and whatever it would be wouldn't be the same for everyone anyway. i agree with many of the answers below... for SOME people. i do not agree with a single one for ALL people. g

Quick question.

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

since i don't drink alcohol myself, why should i think ill of someone else who doesn't? the people of whom i think ill are the pushers: aw come on, just one! one won't hurt you! come on, party pooper! dontcha wanna have a good time? well, yeah, but i can have a good time without alcohol, and if for some reason i couldn't, i hope i would be considerate enough not to make someone else feel as if they had to drink. g

What band or artist has influenced you the most?

genessa comments on Oct 9, 2018:

so many! but john lennon, who was, apart from singing and songwriting, an interesting writer of flash fiction, and a good cartoonist, influenced my own writing style more than better writers did. that's sufficiently odd to mention, i suppose. g

Happy Indigenous People Day!

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

ha! happy indigenous people's day back atcha. it's official here in mn. g

Spirituality: Same nonsense by another name?

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i am often told i am a spiritual person. i am NOT. i think of spirituality as religion light. i don't care whether it requires worship or naming names or following rules or joining a club; if you think there is something out there pulling strings with some kind of agency, that's religion, no matter what you call it, and if you do that without calling it god so you're spiritual, great, fine, you're religious without a religion. that's your right, but don't mistake me for feeling or believing the same way, pretty please. g

Christianity is what happens when a girl really sticks to her story.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i don't think even jesus, if he existed, said he was the son of god. there is, and was even back then, an old jewish expression "oh, he's a real son of god" indicating a very pious man. paul, proselytizing to the greeks (already very unjewish and therefore unjesusy -- jews don't proselytize!) probably used that expression. the greeks took it literally; their gods had lots of human demigod babies. paul invented christianity, not mary, not jesus (not his real name -- how would he have a greek name?) g

I am off work until Thursday. Anyone else ever had pneumonia?

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i have had it many times, and don't be silly, it only takes five week. isn't it a drag? i may have walking pneu right now. i'll find out tomorrow when i walk my butt over to the doc. drink lots of liquids! hot honey lemonade DOES help. g

Atheism and the Universe

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

arrogant indeed! why, next you'll be telling me the sun doesn't revolve around the earth! g

This is why I hate social media.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

may as well hate the world. it's not social media's fault. a medium is a medium. people are people on- and offline. stay out of the shadows. g

Okay i know this isn't the mayo clinic website but does anyone happen to know what it means when you...

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

in case anyone thinks i am using this site in lieu of medical help, i DO have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. g

Saw this on my feed and dear lord.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

martin luther king knelt in protest and i bet he wasn't the first person ever to think of it either. i don't know what color skin the person who first thought of it had, and i don't care. i don't think king would care whether more than one group of people did it now. this bishop is a fool. g

How do you make friends if you aren't a drinker?

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i'm neither single nor a drinker but i spent most of my life single and not drinking. it never occurred to me that, say, going to a bar was a likely place to meet friends, especially since back then everyone was smoking and i have asthma. a lot of fun, i was! i made some friends at school, at work, on my street, wherever i happened to be living, and not a whole lot at one time, usually -- but the ones i made tended to last a lifetime. one of my best friends i met while we were both working on a play, outside of any other organized setting (not a school play, for example). i just answered an ad in the free paper. not into theatre? there are so many things in which one can be involved that involve gathering. that wasn't even why i was doing it. i had been a theatre major until i switched to film and i was just doing anything i could get to do, paid or unpaid -- yeah, paid, who was i kidding? always unpaid! but it's amazing what a broad spectrum of people you meet. if you go expecting nothing but the activity, the work, the play, whatever it is, you get your satisfaction from that and you also get to hang out with human beings. once in a while another human being is happy to hang out with you, too! as for the insecurity, i reeked of it. i was painfully shy, i was. i got over that quickly when i ended up teaching in japan. i think that's an extreme measure to take if you aren't otherwise planning to go, but the thing is, laugh at yourself, take a deep breath, don't expect anything, and go out where people are doing stuff, do the stuff, don't worry about their liking you, and some people will like you just for that! g

I've been on this site for a short time and this is my first time posting.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

glad you stayed. we're not barren,though we're not as big as facebook or anything. we're hoppin'! g

Saw this on my feed and dear lord.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

just what we need -- division. it isn't white supremacy to kneel just because some black people also kneel. it's a good peaceful protest. it's not copyrighted. and who is this bishop anyway? i am guessing he does not represent the feelings of most black people (and some black people ARE women!) g

I read somewhere that it took a team of people FOUR months to finally settle on a look for the new ...

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i couldn't see those stripes well when she came out of the dressing room. i was a bit surprised. but at least now she has pockets! g

Who is exploring Christian Agnosticism?

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i value community and philosophy but i still don't understand why one would have to be christian to have morals -- and i don't understand why subjugation would be considered a positive thing -- and the idea of a servant-community is a bit frightening. one can put oneself in service of the good of humanity without subjugating oneself to anyone or anything; i do not think subjugation would serve the good of humanity, and it might well harm it, since people do tend to interpret things into ritual to avoid actual thinking. it would become religion in no time, and then it would become subjugation to a god of some sort. i have never been christian a day in my life, and when i realized at age 15 that there were no gods, it never occurred to me that this meant i could do whatever i wanted, since i had never felt that god or religion were my motivations for wanting to be a good person. not being raised christian, i certainly had no perception of jesus as a model of any kind, but since then i have come to realize that if he existed at all, as described, he was a pretty religious jew, and the stuff he is purported to have preached is pretty standard judaism. of course this all got warped by the people who never met him who compiled the new testament. i am not trying to argue with your motivations; i just find the whole concept strange. i hope you don't mind my saying so; i mean no disrespect. g

Here is something I like to put to the god-botherers when they come knocking on the door.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

what, you open the door to door-knockers? g

In Defense of Santa Obviously Santa Claus isn't real, yet you'd be very hard pressed to actually...

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

you can write and post letters to the devil if you want. that doesn't make him real. st. nicholas is the patron saint of pawnbrokers, isn't he? does that make it a sin for christians to shop for christmas presents at malls or other retail outlets? i am asking in sincere ignorance, for i have never been a christian. my name isn't virginia. g

Date a weight loss surgery patient?

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

why would that be any more my business than regarding my wish for the other party's wellbeing? that seems to me to be a funny thing to consider as a potential dealbreaker. g

How old/young were you when you realized you were atheist/agnostic?

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i was 15 when i realized there were no gods. g

What is your favorite wild animal? Mine......GORILLA.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

foxes. g

Why does this site exist.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

it is a bit cheeky to come to a site called agnostic dot com and tell people they are not agnostics. you don't know why people call themselves agnostics or why the site exists, yet you join in order to tell us (i say us, although i am not an agnostic, but an atheist) off, to tell us we're mistaken, to tell us what most of us believe when you've been here HOW many hours, and met HOW many of us? how about if YOU try to understand more before telling us who we are and should be, and telling us what to do! g

Let us not shelter our Shoah.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i just realized the video never showed up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ybXkZaMfA g

So this is interesting.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

then why didn't she talk to the devil instead of you? i know why: because she knows YOU exist! g

Ten years ago, I would have never thought I would be an atheist.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

mazel tov! it is liberating to open one's mind :-)) not everyone can do it, and you have done it :-)) g

"In God We Trust" Any of you find it offensive or maybe just wrong that this "motto" is on U.

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

it is offensive and it's ridiculously unconstitutional. i would not count on the current supreme court to change it though. g

How many people remember these?

genessa comments on Oct 8, 2018:

i think my sister had one that looked exactly like that. it had a ballerina inside. g

Has anyone ever quit their job to follow their dream? Got any tips or precautions?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

stupid question i know, but there's no way to go halfway with this? take a hiatus or temporary cut in hours with the current job and do your startup too? i have not done this, no, so i am in no position to give advice. i've quit jobs recklessly with nothing lined up, and i took a change leaving a good deal of my life behind when i moved to japan for what turned out to be a decade, but i don't think that will help you. i hope you can find your way -- i hope it works out! g

So my mom called.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

in addition, lots of things WILL change. not a single one of those things will be a change for the better. g

What action or bad habit do you have, that still drives your parents nuts?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

my parents are dead. nothing i do affects them. g

I am very afraid that even though many of us hope for and expect a blue wave in November, the ...

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

you're not paranoid but there may be a saving grace and that is that each state has its own election system. what works to hack one might not work to hack all. with gerrymandering, only close races are affected; we must get EVERYONE out to vote. and don't listen to people who say 1. both major parties are the same. we don't even HAVE two major parties. we have a political party and a criminal organization, and the latter is currently in power and trying hard to keep it that way; 2. that we need a third party. we're not parliamentary; we don't have coalitions. this year, the republican party PAID to put green party candidates on ballots to split the liberal vote. vote blue and urge your friends and anyone else you can also to vote blue. help people register if it's not too late. help get people to the polls or help them apply for absentee ballots. my guy and i mailed off our votes this past thursday. if we hadn't had them, we would have needed help getting to the polls as we're both disabled. g

This idea that because white men get what they want, men in general do, is wrong and IMO, dangerous!...

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

white supremacy and patriarchy are not mutually exclusive. white supremacy's being a huge problem doesn't mean patriarchy isn't also one. g

The shear, unforgivable hypocrisy of Collins..

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i think she isn't very bright. she obviously got promised something and is too stupid to remember that the last time she betrayed her constituents in order to accept such a promise, she didn't get what she was promised. so what makes her think she'll get anything but a boot in the tush in two years out of this? the big boys aren't going to reward her. g

The primary operating principle of the US constitution and government was to prevent tyrannical ...

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

lincoln would have said, today, a house ruled by a united bunch of criminals cannot stand either. their unitedness against the citizens divides us. g

SPOILERS S11 E1 The Woman Who Fell to Earth A discussion thread for discussing the episode after...

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i am quite ill at the moment so it is hard for me to concentrate and process what i see and hear, but i did watch, and i liked what i saw and heard. the EXTENDED version is about to be shown -- not sure what this means but it is likely one with bits previously cut out for commercials put back in, which is odd, as the uncut version is usually showed first and cut later. so i am about to watch again. because i kept the tv on all this time i saw the afterparty show where people were asked for their impressions, and one bothered me: someone said that the closet scene was a first. it most certainly wasn't! doctor four, when he came to after regeneration, had an extremely funny sequence in which he continually emerged from the tardis in different costumes (including a clown suit) until he hit upon the hat and scarf combo. in the uncut version of the christmas invasion, we get to see doctor 10 picking his outfit -- he picks two suits, identical but for one's being brown and the other's being blue. this comes in handy when he has to leave his mortal incarnation behind with rose. i forget but i THINK doctor 11 also showed us his costume-choosing. i don't know anything about the other doctors' choices, except that we never saw doctor nine's. anyway, consider that an aside. i'll be back if i don't pass out, after the extended showing, coming up in four minutes! g

Will this finally put and end to guilty by accusation? Not likely. The mob is to stupid.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

are you talking about kavanaugh? he wasn't guilty by accusation. he appeared to be guilty (there was no actual investigation much less a trial) by virtue of the evidence, including but not limited to the fact that ford gave her information to her repesentative before kavanaugh became the nominee; the notes of her therapist, to whom she had told about the attempted rape years earlier, and likewise her husband; eyewitness testimony from an amazing number of contemporaries of kavanaugh's about not just his drinking but his habit of accosting women, including testimony from a woman who was gang raped at the same kind of party mentioned in the accusation; and testimony from folks who witnessed bad behavior more recently. or are you talking about the continuing slew of unarmed black men and women who are murdered by policemen and then slandered in the cops' defense? g

My answer to the question, If not God and no afterlife what is the purpose for your life.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

so how does what you want for your family relate to there being an afterlife? i don't get it. it's good to be a good person; what has an afterlife got to do with it? g

What as a theist made you question prayer?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i never questioned prayer because i had never prayed; prayer wasn't the issue. i just realized there were no gods. g

What's on your pasta?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

alfredo sauce. lots of stuff IN it, that ON it. g

Should There be a Columbus Day?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

there is no columbus day in minnesota. it's native american day or something like that. i like that. g

A great character actor and just a great villain in the movie Hombre.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i always rather liked him, never knew quite why. something about him. i think he never really got to show his true talent. maybe it is his potential i liked. g

There is Something Wrong with Democracy.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

there is nothing wrong with democracy. i wish we had one. g

The problem with freedom is that when you give it to people they use it to do anything they bloody ...

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

freedom isn't something you can give another person, unless you mean quite literally unhandcuffing someone or letting someone out of captivity in your basement. a good deal of freedom is internal. g

Why are you still on Facebook?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i am on facebook because friends and family are, because i get a lot of political news there which i then verify, because i know how to do that and i CAN tell the difference, because i am a writer and i've built up a large audience there, and because i like it. g

Is any one seeing signs of being hacked in the big Facebook debacle?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

no. i get private messages all the time warning me about it and they all say "forward this to all your contacts," which is the sure sign of a scam. some of my friends have had their pages cloned, to be sure. it's easy enough to detect and report. as for hacking, i see very little of that, once in a blue moon, really. everyone is terrified of it, but it isn't as common as it is purported to be. g

Do you have fears?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

everyone has fears. anyone who is completely fearless is an idiot. g

A progressive scientific mind should have a healthy balance of skepticism and imagination.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

that's nice, and someone may take you up on it, but you know what? being clever enough to realize there are no gods doesn't necessarily mean being willing, after (in my case) 51 years of atheism, to devote whole bunches of time and energy to rehashing it, or reinventing the wheel, or proving anything. i did this at age 15 and i've been doing it all along, and i really don't think it's a crime to take the shortcut now of giving the whole thing the once-over and saying, yep, still no gods. or were you not talking about that? then perhaps you would like to mention the subject of your proposed hypothesis? were you speaking in general? i am quite interested in science but i'm no scientist. i'm not going to figure out different ways the world could have sprung into existence; i'm listening, but i am not testing anything in a lab, on a computer or anywhere else but my mind. i'm not going to come up with those ideas, and i have plenty of imagination, thank you. but i don't even buy statement that seems to view imagination and skepticism as different ends of a scale, such as ph. one isn't acid and the other alkaline! they're not ON the same scale. they can coexist in a variety of proportions but side by side, not one sliding the other one up or down. they can both be 60 percent and the total isn't 120 percent: they're in different scales. there is something else (one something or more than one something) filling the rest of each scale. g

Sorry people.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

the accusation was the icing on the poisoned cake. it was made BEFORE he was the nominee, by the way. anyway, even without the accusation he was clearly unfit. he lied in his hearings for his last job (two days ago i still could say "current" job). the senate deliberately deprived itself of most of his history, so it could pretend in innocence to think him fit, even though he forwarded documents he knew to be stolen and then lied about it. he lied about his involvement in torture in the bush administration. he is clearly partisan and that venom dripped from him in this recent hearing. any idiot could see he was (at the very least) temperamentally unfit to be on ANY bench. on top of that, to comment on a comment, it was no circus to doctor blasey-ford. g

If there is no God, who is the next strongest? AKA Who is the most powerful person alive?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

there are all different kinds of power. no one is omnipotent. atheism is not a matter of thinking there was a god and he got deposed (and someone steps into his shoes). it's the recognition that there is no such person, no such thing and no such power. g

I just left Christianity, and they talk a lot about this "darkness" that Jesus delivered them from.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

in judaism, you cannot be delivered from a darkness of that sort because, for one thing, there isn't any -- no original sin, and no concept of someone removing from you the sins you've committed, either by confession or by dying on a cross for you, for example. also no fear of hell (except in european folklore), as the christian concept of hell is not based on the jewish one (i've heard it described as having to sit way in the back of the room). i suppose that's one reason jewish sermons don't deal in fire and brimstone! there is no satan as the christians know him in judaism either. there is ha-satan, a kind of prosecuting attorney working in the service of god, not a devil, not a tempter, despite the story of job, and a minor character indeed. there is one kind of darkness from which one can be delivered, in jewish thought, and that is the darkness of ignorance, left behind only through education. if i believed in a god and sought a religion (two different things), i am sure i'd still be a jew AFTER careful thought, but for sure a reform jew, because i would still find it hard to believe a god cared what i ate or wore. this would not be because i was raised jewish, because i was not raised religiously at ALL. most of what i know about the religion, as opposed to the culture, i learned later, and i've been an atheist since i was 15. but i have to say from everything i've seen and read i could NEVER be a christian. christians are too focused on an afterlife and competition to see who can be more christian. culturally, i am still a jew, but i am definitely an atheist. i've been an atheist for 51 years (since i was 15) so i'll quote otis redding: "it's too late to stop now." g p.s. you think the british were bad? try the spanish! oh yeah, evil was other religions! the only thing from which there was no redemption, though, was homosexuality. jews and muslims were given a chance to kiss the cross and not be thrown upon the pyre. gays were given no such choice; they were thrown on first, which is the source of the derogatory term "faggot"; they were used to start the fire. it's good to be inquisitive, but that inquisition was not about learning (or teaching). it was about punishing "the other."

Does evil exist? As non-believers do we still accept the concept of evil in its pure form?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i have SEEN evil. i don't attach the word "pure" to it for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that it's not a THING. it's a characteristic, and no human characteristic is pure. it's always mixed with other stuff, not necessarily conflicting stuff, but other. so "pure" doesn't apply. it's not a force. it's not the wind, or a god. it's how some people are. g

I am an atheist like many of you but I really like satanic imagery,.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i like prometheus, myself. does it mean i believe he ever existed? of course not! theists sometimes think we're atheists because we hate god (silly, since there are no gods to hate) so they may think you're a hypocrite if you like anything to do with gods or fairies or trolls (not the internet kind) or anything supernatural. i like eugene wrayburn. in fact i have a crush on him. know who he is? he's the antihero of dicken's our mutual friend. he doesn't exist except in the mind of dickens and in the hearts and minds of everyone who's read the book. i have SUCH a big crush on him. i'm not delusional; i don't fancy that he exists. that doesn't mean i can't have a crush on him! hypocrite, shmypocrite! g

Agree? Or disagree? Why?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

what a depressing view of human beings. i think most people think of themselves as good people and want to be good people. not all -- most. we don't all agree about what makes us good people, and we don't all have the insight to realize what we're doing wrong when we do wrong, or how to stop doing it when we do realize it. heart we mostly have. brains... not so much. g

Kavanaugh confirmed! Justice prevails!

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

you left off two letters in front of justice: "in" g

What was the worst gift you've ever received?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

every piece of clothing my mother ever got me when i was a teen. ugh, polyester! g

How many of you still participate in gift exchanges with family/friends during their holidays?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

i love giving gifts. i give one gift to my guy every night of chanukah and he always runs out of gifts to give me before the week is through. but it's more fun to give anyway! g

Why is it that some men attract so many women and some women attract so many men irrespective of ...

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

easy peasy: it's not only looks that attract. g

Annoying superstitions

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

nope, my friends aren't like that. i think it's more habit/ocd than superstition for those who do it. there are superstition people around but i just don't hang out with them lol g

I was talking politics earlier today.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

some are. some aren't. things to check: 1. what they say. 2. what they do. do these match what you believe and do they match each other? not all politicians are liars. they may exaggerate; they may even believe their exaggerations. many are liars, and worse. judge them as individuals... and the party issue will become clear too. g

I am new here! Not sure what to do.

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

read what folks say. comment when you have something to say. post when you have something to say or share (nice doggie! that's a nice thing to show us!) don't be afraid to disagree with people or be disagreed with but stay civil (not everyone knows how to do this). pretend it's facebook, then pretend it's better than facebook. it sort of IS facebook, but mostly for atheists and agnostics, which means you'll get less "i'll pray for you" crap here. see how we have a variety of topics? we don't JUST talk about not believing in gods! but we talk about that too. follow your interests! g

Curiousity has gotten the best of me. Why do people like a post that they haven't read?

genessa comments on Oct 7, 2018:

they get a point or two for doing that. g

What made it hard to have faith in a god?

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

nothing made it hard to have faith in a god. i just realized that there were none. that's all. g

Religious and secular?

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

one can keep one's religion private (i don't mean secret -- i just mean not let it interfere with, say, governing, if you're a politician, or whom you heal, if you're a doctor) and behave secularly. a catholic doctor who will not operate on a divorced woman or a born-again christian who will not sell a wedding cake to a gay couple are not behaving secularly. a catholic doctor who knows that he himself is not divorced can happily take out a divorced woman's gall bladder, and theoretically a born-again christian baker could bake a wedding cake for a gay couple; that would be secular behavior, or, to put it simply, not laying your religion on other people. i don't think there is any such thing as a secular jehova's witness but i was raised in a secular jewish household. g

Of the many things that the last week has shown is the need for term limits.

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

no. term limits will simply mean that no one with any experience remains in congress. there already ARE term limits: it's called elections. use them. fight gerrymandering so they mean something. g

Not having much luck dating believers: They want me to validate their afterlife and their belief ...

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

so why are you dating believers, then? i have never dated one. now having said that, i admit that my guy does say he believes in some ill-defined god, but he doesn't push it. i mean, i think it's more like habit than anything. he's not religious. g

Hey anybody know a literary agent?

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

the only one i dealt with was not one i could recommend. g

What do you expect from this life?

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

nothing. life isn't a supply storehouse. g

I started a list of atheist friendly TV shows: Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, Southpark, Northern ...

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

the good wife. g

Do atheists observe Halloween?

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

since atheism is not a religion, there is no tradition and are no rules regarding this. some atheists do and some don't. yes, the holiday began as a religious one, but it isn't one now. yes it has ghosties in it but do you avoid science fiction too? you don't have to believe in the elements of fiction to enjoy it, and that goes for hallowe'en too. g

I still have some that I bought back in 1973, do you still have your old Tupperware?

genessa comments on Oct 6, 2018:

not i! i'll tell you what, though: when i finish up a tub of butter spread, i don't throw away the tub. it's great for leftovers, cut-up fruit, just about anything, frozen, refrigerated or room-temperature (like flour or noodles or lentils). why buy it when you already have something just as good? the writing on it is offensive? tupperware was ugly to start with lol g